


Too Hot to Handle

by Arixese



Series: Tumblr Requests [9]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underswap, F/M, Makeouts, No language, Nothing explicit, body negativity, but Grillby has issues with with parts of his anatomy, hotheaded reader, impulsive reader, not necessarily dysphoria, pretty tame compared to what I usually write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 20:15:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12565320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arixese/pseuds/Arixese
Summary: "This was hopeless. It was obvious that Grillby interested you, though people were often surprised when you asked them about him. “Oh, Grillby? Nice guy. Runs a bar out in Hotland, I think.” “He’s always so sweet when I happen to stop by!” “Eh, don’t talk to him much, but I know who to turn to for a good time and a stiff drink, right?” Aside from Stretch’s grumbling about the bar being too arid and the food being too full of grease, you pretty much heard the same thing. Grillby is nice and his food and drinks are delicious. Sadly, no one seemed to have much information beyond that. It’s been difficult finding out more, even after your long stay in the Underground. Not exactly easy delving into a conversation with a guy you know exactly nothing about in the first place."Request for matronofthevoid asking for something with Swapby. Nothing incredibly specific, but she mentioned that he would act gentlemanly, and, well, I figured that something a little tamer would be required.





	Too Hot to Handle

“Grillby, what do your eyes look like?”

Grillby paused at the question, and your face heated up to match the ambient temperature of the room. You hadn’t spoken too loudly, but apparently, you were loud enough for him to hear you over the ambient background noise. Probably since it was so late in the evening, not much longer before final call. You could not see his expression, only his back, strong yet covered head to toe in bright and cheerful green and yellow with salmon accents. You could see the lick of flames riding up the back of his head same as usual. However, you did notice him get considerably paler down near the base of his neck. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? You couldn’t quite remember. Vague memories of science and basic chemistry courses in school told you next to nothing.

Before you could make moves to apologize regardless, Grillby turned around with a laugh and a smile, setting a tray of burgers and fries on the counter before sliding it down to another patron down on the other end of the bar. “You ask the most peculiar questions, Darling,” he laughed just a little too pleasantly. “Are all humans this inquisitive or is it just you?”

Was your face still burning or was it just him? “Sorry.” You still wanted to know, though. You always saw Grillby with those large, thick spectacles and you doubted he really needed them. In fact, you doubted he could even see much at all, warped as they were. The lenses were translucent to the point of being almost opaque, and you could clearly make out a swirl pattern in them. Yet, no one has ever seen him without them. Not even his longest and most frequent customers. “Didn’t mean to make ya feel awkward or anything.”

Another laugh and a brief brush of his hand over yours. “Hush! You’ve done nothing wrong, Dear,” he chided gently while you resisted the urge to withdraw your hand and marvel at how warm it was. 

You could feel the residual warmth of his individual fingers where they touched. Well, almost touched, but not quite. Still, almost. Geez. You knew he burned hot, but… No. No, don’t let yourself linger on that.of all things. You picked at your cheese fries absently, trying to distract yourself from your mild embarrassment. “If you say so…” He did not seem angry, but, to be honest, he never did with anyone. Grillby was always very patient in every circumstance. Perhaps too much so, considering your own figurative hot head. 

Grillby smiled with a boyish grin and leaned over the counter. “It’s fine, Darling,” he assured you, even as your cheeks and your ears tingled and flared with heat. Those nicknames: Dear, Darling. Geez, it was the nicknames that always got you so worked up every time. He called everyone that, you knew that for a fact. But it was surprisingly easy to get caught up in the fantasy that he sometimes meant it specifically for you. He didn’t say anything about the flush of color in your face, though you were prepared to play it off as a response to the sudden shift of his heat. Not like it was a lie, anyway; you definitely felt that, too.

“I have to make my final rounds,” Grillby said cheerfully, interrupting your train of thought, “feel free to stay put, if you’d like.”

“Sure.” No problem. You’ll just be here, stuffing your foot in your mouth. Grillby smiled and went on his way as you continued picking at your fries. This was hopeless. It was obvious that Grillby interested you, though people were often surprised when you asked them about him. “Oh, Grillby? Nice guy. Runs a bar out in Hotland, I think.” “He’s always so sweet when I happen to stop by!” “Eh, don’t talk to him much, but I know who to turn to for a good time and a stiff drink, right?” Aside from Stretch’s grumbling about the bar being too arid and the food being too full of grease, you pretty much heard the same thing. Grillby is nice and his food and drinks are delicious. Sadly, no one seemed to have much information beyond that. It’s been difficult finding out more, even after your long stay in the Underground. Not exactly easy delving into a conversation with a guy you know exactly nothing about in the first place. 

You guessed he liked green since he wears it often and regularly mixes the color in his cocktails, but that’s about it. And, as everyone promised, he’s really nice. His voice is pleasant with a husky, heavily disguised accent you can’t quite place. He also has a way of making folks feel comfortable when they allow themselves to be. However, you can’t help but notice how he keeps people at arm's length. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him on the other side of the counter. You probably should have cut your losses a while ago. Yet you kept coming back, even after you had set aside some vague notions of dating and romance. It was obvious he wasn’t interested. However, while Grillby was unassuming for most, it was easy to tell there was real personality there if you looked hard enough. A really good friend too, you bet. Trouble was convincing him to let loose without forcing it.

A brief flash of heat on your shoulder spooked you. “Aie!” Geez, what dropped on you?! You bolted upright and pulled the thin fabric on your shoulder to the forefront of your vision, expecting a blotch of melted cheese from someone’s plate. That was hot!

“Ack! Sorry, sorry!” You just barely recognized that voice under the accent. Of course, it wasn’t really an accent, per se. It was more of an overlay, like the roar of fire within a bellows: loud, powerful, and absolutely nothing like what you knew of the voice’s owner. Grillby cleared his throat and returned to busily polishing a random glass that had absolutely no need for polishing. “Ahem. I, uh… I was trying to tell you that I was finished.” You looked around to find hardly anyone else in sight: just a couple of straggling monsters shooting you curious glances on their way out of the door. Grillby laughed in a distracted manner. “It seems you had your own things to think about, my Dear! I hope I didn’t burn you too badly; it was, um, surprisingly difficult getting your attention.” 

“Huh?” Your head whipped back to view the shoulder of your shirt. You didn’t see anything that would suggest something touching you, like scorch marks or stains. However, you did feel a warm, slightly stingy sensation rising on your skin below the fabric. It felt like… Forefingers? Like someone tried to give you a quick poke…  _ Grillby _ touched you?! Huh. That was a first. You never saw him touch anyone that wasn’t already on fire, like a Pyrope or a Vulkin. Even accidentally. 

“I am really sorry, Dear,” Grillby continued without prompting, “I got careless for a minute.” 

“Huh?!” Oh. God. You could slap yourself right now for your sudden lack of eloquence. Say something! Like words! “I mean, uh, don’t worry about it! You’re fine!” Grillby looked at you skeptically. “I’m fine,” you clarified.

“Would you like me to get the first aid kit? I have a surplus of burn gel. Just in… case.” You caught that wince. Just like you caught the way his hands dropped subtly below the counter, hiding them from view as he set the glass down. 

“I’m fine,” you asserted once more. “I won’t need it.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” You rolled up your sleeves and held up your forearms. “I’ve had enough injuries to know when it’s serious.” Grillby looked away from the burn scars and vague discolorations on your skin. The toothy grin on your face fell automatically when you noticed it. “Hey, are you alright?”

Grillby forced a short laugh. “Yes. Just wondering what brings you to Hotland all the time considering your apparent… experience with burns.”

“It’s not like these were serious,” you said. Just a couple misadventures with a few kitchen appliances and bad decisions made with friends. Nothing life endangering. “Besides, there’s someone in Hotland I like spending time with and getting to know. Or would you rather I not come and see you as much?”

He looked up. It was a little comical how confused he looked, his mouth falling in a puzzled frown and his forehead scrunching up behind those ridiculous glasses of his. “Is that why you eat here so often? Why?” You opened your mouth to answer but hesitated. What were you supposed to say to that? ‘Because I’ve had a big fat crush on you for a very long time and I still kinda do but I’m willing to set that aside to be friends because you’re awesome and I wanna know more about you anyway?’ Grillby gave another short, self-deprecating laugh and adjusted his glasses. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not a fair question. It just strikes me as odd, that’s all.”

“Odd? Why’s that so weird?”

Grillby shrugged impassively, as if he was reluctant to answer the question, or as if it should be obvious. “Because I’m made of fire? Some people -a lot of people, actually- are scared of me for it. And with good reason, usually.” Grillby gestured to himself and the bar without prompting. It took you a moment to recognize that he had actually walked out from behind the counter “A lot of what I do is simply to make people more comfortable. Wear bright and cheery clothing. Talk softer. Move my business to an area where I’m not too unusual.” Grillby chuckled and waggled his glasses. “These are especially a hit for the schoolchildren I see outside sometimes on the weekdays.”

You frowned. “I didn’t realize being an elemental was such a problem for you.”

“It isn’t. I’m used to it, so it’s actually pretty normal for me.”

“Shouldn’t be,” you argued. “I know you well enough that you would never injure anyone, and anyone who thinks otherwise, well…” You sat your hands on your hips and took a moment to decide how you were going to word it. Rather, you tried to find a good way to tone down your anger into something more sympathetic. “I believe anyone who thinks you could ever willingly hurt them would and should be ashamed of themselves. Cause that’s stupid.” Grillby snorted at your last comment and you scowled in return. “I’m being serious! Anyone who knows you even remotely would know how ridiculous that sounds.”

“I’m sorry,” he laughed. You could hear a little more of his accent coming through. It was quieter, like the crackle of a bonfire on a Summer night. “You’re very kind to say that, Darling, really.”

“Look, I’ll prove it!” The next thing you knew, your hands were against the side of Grillby’s face, and he was struck speechless as he half-stood slumped and sprawled against a bar stool. But you didn’t move right away. So warm. Sure, it was hot, but not the same heat you’d expect from sticking your hands in literal fire. Not your best decision, by the way, no matter how much you trusted him emotionally. It was more like a manageable heat, like grabbing a hot dish fresh from the dishwasher. It shocked you and stung for a second, but the heat mellowed as your skin grew used to it. Grillby’s face was unreadable behind his glasses. You couldn’t even make out the shape of his mouth under the wreath of flames engulfing his face. He wasn’t yelling at you to get off. That was a good sign. Your fingers skimmed the stems on his glasses. “M-may I?”

Grillby nodded mutely as you took them off to set them behind him on the counter. You’ve wondered about Grillby’s eyes a number of times. You expected them to be like the inside of his mouth when he spoke: white-hot, yet unblinding when you compared to the rest of him. However, what you did not expect was a cloudy darkness, like the billowing smoke of a forest fire and the darkness of coal combined together. It was terrifying to look at, but not in the way that would have sent you screaming. Instead, you were scared by how intense his wide-eyed gaze was. It was bottomless, like you could literally fall in and never reemerge. “Mesmerizing…” You blinked. You were thinking of that exact word, but the fond comment did not come from you. Grillby adopted a goofy smile as he rested his arm on your hips and laced his fingers behind your back, the heavy fabric of his colorful suit buffering any heat you felt on your skin. “I didn’t realize you would be so stunning, Darling,” he sighed, making your face flush deeper. And you could not blame that one on his body heat.

“I-I’m… Going to do something. Stop me if it feels weird or if anything hurts, okay?”

Clarity came back over Grillby’s features and he nodded soberly. “Same to you, Darling. Feel free to stop if things start to hurt. I won’t be offended.”

You were shaking, and you were unable to hide it. After all this time, you still wanted to do this. You just didn’t realize how much you did. You closed your eyes gently and gathered your courage. You were gonna do this. Here goes. Surprisingly, his mouth did not sting as badly as you expected. Barely at all, actually. You weren’t sure if that was biological, or if his body obeyed the principle of most monster attacks. That is, that they didn’t hurt without intent. You didn’t know enough to tell. And, to be honest, you didn’t much care as you leaned into the kiss, arching your back and pressing your stomach against him as you tilted your head to a better angle. It grew as hot figuratively as he was literally. 

You pressed many kisses to his opened mouth and you moaned at the way his hands rode up your shirt, sending shivers of pain up and down your spine. Like the scratching of nails, but more. You pulled his face closer to yours and tepidly stuck your tongue inside his mouth. If you were going to get burned at all, it would certainly be at this point. Though the thought of you walking around with a burned tongue as a result of a botched make-out was hilarious. However, the sensation, while still there, was not as intense as you expected. As a result, you did not flinch away from it. Grillby groaned in your mouth as you wrapped your arms around the back of his head and pulled him close.

“Mmmngg… W-wait, stop…” 

You broke away immediately, your arms still draped over his shoulders as he pulled you gently away from his body. “What happened,” you asked nervously. “Was I hurting you with that?”

“N-n-no…” Grillby took a breath and looked up with the most radiant charming smile you’ve ever seen, making your heart thump heavily. “It’s just… What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t at least take you on some dates before we possibly proceeded further?”


End file.
